What support will I get at college?
The support you receive at college will differ from the support you received at school. You may not see your Qualified Teacher for the Visually Impaired (QTVI) any longer and you will be taught by a new team of staff at the college.
Colleges get money from their funding body in order to provide reasonable adjustments and make sure you have the support you need. In colleges this is called Additional Learning Support (ALS). There is a variety of support and equipment that a college might offer and they will look at what works best for you. Some examples of support are:
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a support teacher or worker, or a sighted guide to help you get to lessons
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materials in alternative formats such as braille or large print
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assistive computer technology, eg closed-circuit television
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computers with speech synthesisers and magnification.
Depending on where you live in the UK, either the college's Learning Support Adviser (LSA) or Special Education Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) will be able to offer further details on the support offered within a specific college. It is important to contact the LSA or SENCO to discuss how your support needs could be met when considering applying to college.
Consider your current support
It might be useful to consider the support you receive at school and the support you will need in a college environment. The subjects you choose to do at college may influence the type of support you need so this is worth discussing with your current teacher/ QTVI before you apply to college. The more information the college has about the support you receive in school and the earlier they have this information the better they will be able to support you from the beginning of your course.
Attend a 'taster' session
The college environment is likely to be very different to the school environment you are used to so it may be worthwhile seeing if you can attend any 'taster days' in college to see if you like it and the course is right for you. Your teachers/QTVI may also be able to put you in touch with someone older than you who has been to the college and will be able to tell you about their experiences.
Funding support
Colleges receive funding in order to provide reasonable adjustments and make sure learners with a disability or impairment have the support they require. Find out more in our funding at college pages.
Study support
If you're blind or partially sighted, studying doesn't have to be a chore, but it takes organisation and a bit of forward planning to find out which study techniques work best for you. Visit our study advice page for more study tips!
Technology support
Guidance on free technology tools and the range of technology related support you should be able to expect from post 16 learning providers is available from the JISC TechDis website.
You can download the below guide to help you find information on how technology can help, what you might need, what your college or university can provide as well as some ideas about what you can do yourself: